1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an apparatus for improving the fuel efficiency of conventional gasoline and diesel engines used in transportation vehicles, and more specifically to an energy-saving apparatus for reducing the idling of the belt driving systems of the engine during driving and reducing the idling fuel consumption during traffic.
2. The Prior Arts
The rapid development of automobile industry in recent years has greatly shortened the commuting time. However, the carbon-dioxide from the use of the gasoline has led to the global warming and poor air quality. It is estimated that only about 30% of the fuel used by the car engine is for moving the car, while the remaining 70% is transformed into heat, and wasted through the heat dissipation system and the exhaustion system. Facing the increasing pressure of the global warming and the pending shortage of oil supply, it is imperative to revise the technology and the use habit to improve the fuel efficiency, especially for the auto industry. According to a report from Discovery Channel, the oil consumption in USA is about ¼ of the global consumption, and 55% of that amount is consumed by the 230 million cars. Based on that ratio, it is roughly estimated that about half of oil is used by cars. The dependence on the fuel and the impact on the environment caused by vehicles are threatening.
However, the new models based on the new fuel technology, such as, electrical-gas hybrid cars, make up a very small share in the market. The conventional gas/diesel engine cars are still the mainstream of the automobile industry. Therefore, the overall energy consumption by the cars still leaves large room for improvement.
One of the reasons that the conventional engine consumes so much fuel is that the engine is still rotating when the car is idling. The car may be idle for a few seconds to a few minutes, or even longer. If the engine is turned off, the car must be shifted to N gear or P gear to re-ignite. To prevent from overusing the battery power, the electronic devices inside the vehicle must also be turned off, which is inconvenient to the driver. FIG. 1 shows a conventional vehicle driving apparatus. As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional driving apparatus of a car is to install co-axially a first active transmission wheel 11 and a second active transmission wheel 12 on the crank shaft of engine 1. Active transmission wheel 11 uses a first transmission element 32 to couple a first passive transmission wheel 31 located at generator system 3. Active transmission wheel 12 uses a second transmission element 42 to couple with a passive transmission wheel 41 located at air-conditioning system 4. When the driver operates a first ignition switch 9A, battery 6 supplies power to engine ignition system 13 on engine 1 to start the engine. When the engine is in operation, the engine pulls first active transmission wheel 11 and second active transmission wheel 12. Therefore, whether the air-conditioner is in use or not, air-condition system 4 must be driven to rotate, and whether battery 6 is fully charged or not, engine 1 must pull generator system 3 to continue charging battery 6. Similarly, when the car must temporarily stop in traffic, the engine maintains the rotation in the idling so that the engine is overloaded, leading to the direct increase in fuel consumption and lowering the fuel efficiency.